Finite-time thermal refrigerator in interacting Bose-Einstein condensates
Phys. Rev. A 114, 013315 – Published 17 July, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/89ff-kqdy
Abstract
We study a finite-time thermodynamic refrigeration cycle realized numerically in three-dimensional, weakly interacting Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). The setup consists of three spatially separated condensates (system, piston, and reservoir) coupled through time-dependent potential barriers that implement compression, expansion, and contact strokes. Finite-temperature initial states are generated with the Stochastic Ginzburg-Landau equation, and the subsequent dynamics are evolved using the truncated Gross-Pitaevskii equation. To measure temperatures we use a momentum-space thermometry method that provides estimates for each condensate. We find that despite mass transfer and sound excitations, the protocol achieves successful cooling during consecutive cycles: the first cycle lowers its temperature by and a second cycle yields additional, though reduced, cooling, reaching a final cooling from the initial state. Our results show that interacting BECs can sustain finite-time quantum thermal cycles under realistic conditions and provide a platform for exploring different refrigeration schemes, optimized control protocols, and shortcuts to adiabaticity.